InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Bang."

Nikolaos Ramsay (themanticore) wrote in cirque_rp,
@ 2017-08-15 22:27:00

WHO: Nik & Lucia
WHAT: First morning at Angkor Wat [Prompt: Sleeping]
WHEN: June 5th, early morning
WHERE: Trailer, then exploring
RATING: In progress

Dawn had started to pale the horizon over the spires of Angkor Wat before Nik made it back to the trailer. After the extent of the injuries the crew had sustained in Ostia, there was plenty of work to be had for the willing.

On the couch, Lucia’s sleeping form was barely visible. She was little more than a slim rise beneath her quilts, depth added to the shadows by the faint light from window overhead. Even though he’d just returned from a week long furlough to his family’s homeland, the sound of her shallow breathing was enough to make him feel that he’d come home. To think that might have been lost to him because he’d left her behind. Without protection. In hindsight, what had seemed a safe call had been monumentally foolish. Mindful not to wake her, he tucked her quilt in at her shoulders, then toed off his boots and dropped onto the bed for an hour of shut eye.

By the time the light in the trailer had saturated everything in gold, Nik had long been at work in the kitchen. He’d never been able to sleep long past daybreak by force of habit. Besides, he was anxious to hear about her week (excepting the obvious tragedy) and her shift. A controlled shift was something to be celebrated for someone still newly bitten. In fresh clothes and working a towel through his wet hair, he kept the coffee making as quiet as the ornate Italian press in their kitchen would allow.

He heard stirring from the couch.

“It’s alive.” A curl of steam floating above its lip, he set a mug on the coffee table within her reach. “Morning,” he smiled, seating himself on the edge of the couch by her feet.

(Post a new comment)

iionheart
2017-08-17 06:26 pm UTC (link)

"Barely."

The mound of covers shifted as she stretched beneath it, one hand appearing from beneath its edge to grope blindly along the coffee table's surface until it found purchase around warm ceramic. Her body rolled laborously to lean up on one elbow as she simultaneously bought the mug to her lips and took a sip, her eyes parting to blearily examine the man sitting near her feet through half-lidded eyes. "Hey."

Through the receding fog of sleep she noted his damp hair and the smell of his soap and was struck by how much she had missed him this time. She liked to make excuses as to why that feeling grew stronger every time he was away. This time, she told herself it was because of the attack, though she knew that probably wasn't the whole story.

"Did Callum have you working late?"

(Reply to this) (Thread)

themanticore
2017-08-17 06:45 pm UTC (link)

"Here's hoping some caffeine kicks that up to 'mostly.'" A low note of humor rolled in his chest, though it was perhaps in bad taste. He'd heard the Cirque had lost two employees in the attack. Unfortunate, but that was life. Neither had been family. Neither had been Lucia. He counted that as cause for a fair mood.

"Mhmm." He watched her nurse her coffee in slow hands, eyelids leaden with sleep, loose hair in her face. It was the mundane, the little vignettes that meant nothing but to those who lived them, that made a life. A considerable chunk of his had simply been absent for the last week. He didn't analyze it. It simply was.

"You shifted." Subtle, as usual. "Any trouble with it?"

The edge of his mouth lifted. "A few of the roustabouts were telling me about 'the new lioness.' A force by herself, from what I hear."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

iionheart
2017-08-18 01:22 am UTC (link)

She extended her feet and burrowed them underneath his legs, her expression similar to that of someone who had just been asked if water was wet. Any trouble? She knew he was being genuine and wasn't just trying to goad her, but damn if his delivery had all the nuance of a sledgehammer. That was nothing new. Still, she could not for the life of her understand how he could make it all sound so... celebratory. Like she'd done something amazing, something impressive. But then, she reminded herself, he hadn't been there and couldn't have known, but that didn't exactly make her feel much better.

The additional mention of her being the subject of cirque gossip made her visibly uncomfortable. She supposed that was one of the pitfalls of living in a small, tight community; everyone had their nose in other people's business. "A force," she echoed, and in her mind she could almost see the terrified face of a man as her teeth closed around his throat and pulled. Could almost remember liking it.

The 'new lioness' had put on quite a show, she was sure.

She turned her eyes to stare down into her coffee, her fingers restlessly picking at a chip in the painted mug. "It hurt a lot," she confessed. "More than usual, anyway. I... don't really remember much. It wasn't exactly on purpose." She tilted her head and glanced back up at him from under her lashes. "Stop grinning at me like that." She gave him a small nudge with her foot to emphasize this. "What else did you hear?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

themanticore
2017-08-18 11:16 pm UTC (link)

Her expression gave him pause. People with whom he was comfortable got neither censorship nor pretense from him, and there was no one with whom he was more comfortable than Lu. Typically this was a good thing, but from time to time, he needed a reminder that she was new to the supernatural world, that just a few short years ago she had been a human, and a teenager at that. His smirk eased. What she'd done was impressive, but mauling humans was new to her, not something to be so easily excused. Her treatment of it was probably healthier.

Nik rubbed her calf beneath the quilt, an unspoken apology for being too crass. Her adjustment to life as a shifter was still a strained subject, at times, at least for him. His eyes followed the line of her leg to the rise of her hip, where she bore the scars of one of his greatest regrets.

He made a wordless noise in understanding. "A lot of bitten shifters never get that far, being able to change and stay in control, or not black out." Nothing she didn't know, but it deserved reminding. "It might not feel like it now, but you should be proud of yourself. You're strong."His tongue passed over his teeth behind closed lips. "It was all self defense. That's what I heard. But I wasn't there. I'm sorry." He let that linger for a moment, quiet, to give her space to respond, swat at him, or let it settle.

Rather than leveling their day of exploration with a dour start, Nik rubbed his palms together and changed tack on the conversation. "So. How about Siem Reap for the day? Crickets for breakfast?" He arched his scarred eyebrow at her, a spark of a mischief back in his eye. "Try everything once, right?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

iionheart
2017-08-19 03:36 am UTC (link)

Not terribly long ago she might have snapped at his carelessness and retreated. Even further back and she might also have attempted to bite the hand that now rubbed just below her knee instead of internally thrilling at the touch. Yet here they sat. And she neither recoiled nor aggressed.

She simply watched his face as he spoke, raptly attentive, and when he apologized she hesitated not for an instant before nodding her understanding and acceptance. She was not a damsel, and he never treated her like one. He did not need to protect her, especially if her recent body count was any indication. Yet she had seen the way his gaze lingered on her side and knew the guilt he bore over what she was.

For that she would always forgive him.

And then it was over. She was glad for that. She puckered her lips to one side, the sure-fire signal that she was witholding a smile, and her own onyx eyes danced with amusement at the transition. Sledgehammer.

She tilted her head back to down the last of the coffee and used her free hand to toss the quilt over the back of the couch. "That sounds a lot like a dare." Her legs were bared by a pair of shorts, and she was wearing one of his undershirts; she pulled her feet out from under him and finally set them on the ground, pushing off the couch to arch her back and let her arms stretch high and then wide to the side. "Breakfast of champions. You're on. I hear they taste like popcorn. Besides, I feel like after Rocky Mountain Oysters, crickets will be a cake walk." And then she did grin at him in her crooked way, though the look she gave was pointed.

She had not been very amused when he'd told her what the Colorado specially really was. Especially not since she'd been mid-chew.

"Thanks for the coffee. I'm gonna wash up and get changed. You wanna wait up, or should I meet you by the gate in a few?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

themanticore
2017-08-20 02:02 pm UTC (link)

Whatever he'd said or done, he was happy to be fodder for her silent amusement as long as it summoned the spark back to her eye. "Me? A dare?" Nikolaos chuffed, feigning insult that she'd think so lowly of him, then pulled a face.

It was most certainly a dare.

His thoughts went to the days ahead, of how best to maximize their time in Angkor Wat hours before the waxing moon, now nearing fullness, would push the cirque's shifters to restlessness and anxiety. He felt it already; prodding at his baser nature, dulling human manners and inhibitions. He assumed Lu did as well, and wondered how she would handle her first moon with a dozen of their kind so close.

It was with this thought in mind that he refocused to the sight of her slipping out from beneath her quilt. Her habit of borrowing his clothes was long established, but his undershirts were rather thin and deeply cut, as undershirts were wont to be. The long hem nearly covered her shorts, painting a strange, more suggestive picture than was expected from a standard morning stretch. The window behind the couch cut her figure in morning light. His thoughts were white noise. The moon did strange things, he told himself.

"You handled 'em like a champ. But the look on your face..." He grinned and pushed himself upright from the couch, collecting both empty coffee mugs on his way to the kitchen. "Welcome. I'll call one of those rickshaw cabs and wait up front. No rush."

They did their standard dance around one another in their small shared space while he grabbed his wallet and other necessities, then shoved feet into his boots at the door and waved over his shoulder on the way out, pulling up the number for transport as he went.

The cabby was prompt, pulling up outside the gates moments after Nik arrived in a serviceable but careworn vehicle, half-painted a horrendous shade of goldenrod yellow. He spoke broken English. Nik only knew a few courtesy phrases in the local tongue. However, by the time Lucia joined them, Nik had decided he liked Nuon, and the pair were chatting happily, helped by animated hand gestures.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

iionheart
2017-08-20 10:08 pm UTC (link)

She actually laughed at the face he made, pulling her slender frame as far back as she could to allow him room to pass to get to the kitchen. Of course she also felt it, the pull of the lunar cycle... working in such close proximity with other shifters was sure to be an interesting experience. She couldn't imagine what it was going to be like to be surrounded by an entire group of individuals simultaneously on the prowl for ways to satisfy the baser wants and needs of the animals within them.

Speaking of which, was his body always this close when they passed in the trailer?

Clearing the thought from her head, she returned his wave and watched as he made his exit, immediately shedding her clothing so that she could get ready for the day. She couldn't deny that she was excited. Not just for the exploration of this new city, but also to get to spend some real time with Nik for a change. When she emerged some time later from their trailer, she was wearing a simple pair of gray, wide-legged linen pants and a pale tee, her damp blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail and tucked through the back of a hat. Her backpack, the one possession she had kept from what she could call her childhood, was slung over one shoulder and housed everything she would need for the day.

She walked brisquely but nodded to the other members who happened to be up and about as she passed, even lifting her hand in a silent salute to those she knew better. When she finally passed the gates and laid eyes on the vehicle, she was amused but not surprised to find Nik engaged with their driver in what looked like a low-key game of charades. She had long ago come to accept it as fact that when he wanted to be, Nik was charismatic enough to befriend a wall.

She moved forward to make her presence known, waiting for a lull in their lively discussion before offering the driver a shy grin and a clumsy "Choum reap sor" in greeting. She wasn't an omniglot like Nik was, but liked to at least familiarize herself with basic greetings and 'thank yous' in the languages of the places the cirque stopped; most of the time she could get a friendly patron at the Lady's Table to teach her, usually with a fair-share of flamboyant hand-movements that were not unlike the ones punctuating Nik's conversation now.

She wagged her brows at Nik and gestured to the car. "That is... some kind of color. Can't miss it. Guess we're getting there in style." Yellow was her favorite color, though this particular shade was... interesting at best. She swung her backpack down and opened the side door to toss it inside, unable to keep another smile from gracing her features. "I'm excited," she admitted. "Not so much for cricket-breakfast, but just to get out for a while." The lioness in her was eager to stretch her legs and do some exploring. "Is cambodian coffee any good?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

themanticore
2017-08-21 03:51 am UTC (link)

Nuon had been married since he was 18. He recommended The Laughing Fatman’s pizza place, which was very western, by his approximation, even though they served fermented fish on their deepdish. It was his dream to see the great pyramids. He also had two daughters who needed husbands; one was very pretty, an exceptional cook and had a particular fondness for tall men.

Then Lucia caught up to them. He was doubly grateful. The cabby seemed grateful for her attempt at local jargon. He waved them both towards the back of the vehicle, the climbed inside himself and coaxed the engine to life. It was more of an ordeal than it ought to have been, but the turnover wheezed and breathed a gasp after the third attempt. “Ok, ok!” Nuon smiled into a cloudy rearview mirror.

Nik waited for Lu to take a seat, then followed, wiggling the door closed behind them until the latch took. “Getting there in style,” he agreed. “Coffee is very good here,” Nuon informed them from the driver’s seat as the cab merged with city bound traffic. “We just came from Italy,” Nik replied, biting back a smirk. Nuon considered himself worldly, so he waited a moment for the comparison to register. The cabby tapped an open palm against the steering wheel, chuckling. “Yes, yes. Tea is very good here,” he amended proudly. “Crickets, too. Fish Amok is better.”

The cab pulled out of the thoroughfare just inside the first market street. Nik reached through the partition, handing him a fold of cash and a large tip. “Thanks for taking care of us.” He added a well meant farewell in Khmer, then climbed out into the throb of the crowd. Managing to hold the door open behind him was a bit of a feat; a merchant with a massive basket fixed to his back tried to cut between Nik and the cab, shoeing the door closed. Nik held fast, making a wall of the door, his eyes narrowed at the man. “Alright, so morning’s a little unforgiving,” The door shut behind Lu, he waved Nuon off then turned to look down the bazaar. It was a writhing mess of humanity, color, endless smells and too many voices. It was almost overwhelming, but wonderfully so. “Pick your cart, whatever catches your eye.”

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

iionheart
2017-08-21 02:58 pm UTC (link)

The interaction with the vendor hadn't been funny, per se, but even still it was humorous to see how Nik towered over the natives here. When it was clear to do so she scooted quickly out and into the rush of the street. To her spiked senses it was an ambush; she stood, staring around with wide, darting eyes as the cab took off, absently tugging at the straps of her backpack as she acclimated to the surge of sound, smell, and color. She mentally added touch to that list as she was almost immediately jostled by passer-by and was forced to spur herself into action.

From the looks of things, she had a few options, though she was a bit dissapointed to note that meat was definitely not one of them. Unless she wanted to eat snake, of course. She was feeling adventurous enough for crickets, but something told her that Cambodian snake was a sure-fire way to get some serious food poisoning. Turning to glance up at him, she pointed over to a cart piled high with insect carcasses and arched a brow. "A dare is a dare, right?"

She began to push herself toward it through the crowd, keeping her hands tightly clenched around her backpack, but stopped a few stalls short to read a sign promoting fruit shakes. She looked back to make sure Nik was still with her before stopping to order a pineapple and coconut shake. It was still before noon, but the heat was already sweltering, and they looked refreshing. They also looked like they would do well to wash down fresh-cooked crickets. "Do you want one?" As they waited for the crushed-ice drinks to get made, she glanced around again and actually caught herself sniffing at the air like an animal; she sheepishly ducked her head back down, hoping no one had noticed.

With drinks paid for and in hand, she led them over to their final destination, her dark gaze falling over the piles of dead cockroaches while her teeth tugged at the straw of her smoothie. "Moment of truth, I guess," she said, her tone resigned, and then she ordered a bag of the critters. Taking one in between two fingers, her face was stoic save for the inconspicuous wrinkle of one nostril, and she saluted it toward him in a silent cheers before popping it into her mouth and crunching down.

A few chews in and she spoke around the half-masticated bug. "...Leggy. Or are those its antannae getting stuck in my teeth?" A pause, during which she swallowed and frowned. "Don't tell me, actually." She shrugged, bared her teeth to him in the universal sign of 'is there anything in there?', grabbed another one from the bag, and then held it out to him. "They're not bad. They really do taste like popcorn. Which makes them officially better than Oysters, for the record."

Moving back into the river of people, she allowed herself to fall into step beside Nik, keeping close enough to him so that they could comfortably share the bag of bugs between them as they strolled. "When was the last time you were here?"

(Reply to this) (Parent)